Dr. Beach Reveals Top 10 Best Beaches in the US for 2018

10 PHOTOS

May 25, 2018

Published May 24, 2018 at 5:47 PM | Updated at 8:51 AM EDT on May 25, 2018

Hawaii's the tops of Dr. Beach's Top 10 Beaches list in 2018, taking the number one spot and appearing twice on the list.

Florida and North Carolina also had two entries on the annual list that ranks major public recreational beaches in the coastal U.S. states.

But the "beautiful crescent-shaped, white sand beach" in Kapalua Bay on the Hawaiian island of Maui sits atop the list this year. It's got clear waters populated by tropical fish and a snorkel-renting concession stand as well.

Florida International University professor Stephen Leatherman, also known as Dr. Beach, uses about 50 criteria to assess and rank beaches across the country. U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands aren't included in the rankings. In recent years, he has given extra points to beaches that prohibit smoking, saying cigarette butts are not only environmentally damaging, but can ruin the experience for beach-goers. Safety and environmental management are other major factors, he said